ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard’s 2011 outstanding Soldiers and Airmen of the year are continuing a 375 year tradition of guarding America, defending freedom and being the best our nation has, Command Chief Master Sgt. Denise Jelinski-Hall said here, Aug. 12.
“They are warriors, leaders, professional Soldiers and Airmen - our nation’s finest,” the senior enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau said during an awards banquet to honor the 20 National Guard members selected as the best of the best for the National Guard.
The Army National Guard was represented by 14 Soldiers who were selected from seven different regions and the Air Guard was represented by the top six Airmen from throughout the Guard.
Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau spoke his pride in the selected Guard members and the confidence he has that Guard is in good hands for the future.
“You young men and women who have achieved these accolades, which are deeply deserved …, are our future,” he said. “You are the future of the National Guard, and what a rich diverse Guard that I have the privilege and honor of serving. [You] hold in [your] hands the essence of the citizen-Soldier and Airmen.”
The 14 Army Guard Soldiers selected had to win at local, state and regional levels in order to make it to the National Guard’s Best Warrior competition, where they showcased their physical, mental and professional strengths during a weeklong competition Aug. 4 to Aug. 8.
The Army Guard announced the results for top Soldier and top noncommissioned officer of the year. The two selected will represent the Army National Guard in the Department of the Arm’s Best Warrior Competition, which will determine the best of the best for the Army.
The Army Guard selected Army Sgt. Guy Mellor, of the Utah National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, as the 2011 Noncommissioned Officer of the Year.
Mellor also won Soldier of the Year here in 2009.
“It’s an honor for me to show what I’m able to achieve,” he said. “It shows me what I can achieve personally, and no matter what comes my way I can tackle that, and if I … plan hard enough, if I work hard enough, I can achieve it.”
Speaking to what it takes to get to this point Mellor said it comes from within.
“It takes a lot of heart, dedication, determination and a lot of support,” he said.
The Army Guard selected Army Spc. Ryan Lindberg, of the North Dakota National Guard’s 817th Engineer Company, as the 2011 Soldier of the Year.
“It’s a big honor, it took a lot of work … a lot of work behind the scenes,” Lindberg said.
As a first time competitor Lindberg was unsure of what the competition was going to be like, but felt proud and relieved that all of his hard work made him rise above the rest.
“I was lucky enough to have an NCO from North Dakota who had been here before … and he really pointed me in the right direction and set me up for success,” he said.
The Air Guard also celebrated their top six Airmen, presenting the awards for Airman, NCO, Senior NCO, First Sergeant, honor guard team member and honor guard program manager of the year.
Air Force Staff Sgt. John Norris, with the Pennsylvania National Guard, was selected as the 2011 NCO of the year and credits the training from prior NCOs throughout his career with getting him to this point.
“Other NCOs, deployments and experience have all prepared me for my career in the Air Force,” he said.”
Norris, a tactical air control party specialist with the 193rd Special Operations Wing, was also selected as one of the Air Force’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2011.
“It truly is an honor to represent the Air National Guard at the Air Force level,” he said.
McKinley took the opportunity to remind the award recipients of their heritage and what they represent.
“You have DNA back to people who left everything,” he said. “ [People] who left their comforts … jumped on a sailing vessel and did not know where they were going or where they would land or what they would do when they got here, but they knew they had a chance; a chance to make life better for themselves.
“That’s the essence of what the National Guard is - nothing more, nothing less. People, who want to do right by themselves, take the greatest risk of their lives and make it better for the next generation.”
Adding, “It isn’t about the money, it isn’t about the glory. It’s about making life better and to sacrifice it all. Your roots go deeper than this nation. You are part of a generation that will carry on the banner and pass the torch to those who look up to each and every one of you. The American public knows that you are their Soldiers, their Airmen. You come from their communities.”
The Army National Guard’s 14 Outstanding Soldiers of the Year are as follows:
Region I
- NCO – Army Sgt. Shawn Chapple, 53rd Troop Command, New York National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. James Nelson, 50th Brigade Special Troop Battalion, New Jersey National Guard
Region II
- NCO – Army Sgt. 1st Class Dana Graham, 3rd Battalion, 166th Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Erich Friedlein, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard
Region III
- NCO – Army Sgt. Nakomus Oliver, 2nd Battalion, 198th Combined Arms Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Brent Schipper, 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, South Carolina National Guard
Region IV
- NCO – Army Sgt. Brandon Swanson, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, 32nd Combat Brigade Team, Wisconsin National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Steven Dahl, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, 32nd Combat Brigade Team, Wisconsin National Guard
Region V
- NCO – Army Sgt. N’Kosi Campbell, 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Brian Wood, 35th Combat Aviation Brigade, Missouri National Guard
Region VI
- NCO – Army Sgt. Joel Erickson, Detachment 1, 188th Engineer Battalion, North Dakota National Guard
- Soldier – Army Spc. Ryan Lindberg, 817th Engineer Company, North Dakota National Guard
Region VII
- NCO – Army Sgt. Guy Mellor, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery, Utah National Guard
- Soldier – Army Sgt. Alessandra Jacobson, 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Utah National Guard
The Air National Guard’s six Outstanding Airmen of the Year are as follows:
Airman of the Year
- Air Force Staff Sgt. Kathryn Morrill, 133rd Airlift Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard,
Noncommissioned Officer of the year
- Air Force Staff Sgt. John Norris, 193rd Special Operations Wing, Pennsylvania National Guard
Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year
- Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Quitugua, 36th Wing, Guam National Guard
First Sergeant of the Year
- Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher Taggart, 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey National Guard
Honor Guard Team Member of the Year
- Air Force Staff Sgt. Erin M.H. Ryan, 101st Air Refueling Wing, Maine National Guard
Honor Guard Program Manager of the Year
- Air Force Tech. Sgt. Angela Jenkins, 149th Fighter Wing, Texas National Guard